Descendant joyeusement le fleuve de la vie
1856
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1856
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Daumier shows a lazy boat ride with six people floating down a calm river. The light hits their hats and clothes just right, while the water mirrors everything like a still pond. Their relaxed poses make it feel like a summer afternoon with no hurry. Daumier built this using a tricky print method called lithography. He drew on stone with greasy crayons, then rolled ink over it. Only the crayon lines held the ink, so every copy stayed crisp. See how the shadows dance? Try looking up lithography next.
